A Switch: Joining Staff At Church

Estuary Council Leader Resigning

OLD SAYBROOK — After 2 1/2 years at the helm of the Estuary Council of Seniors, Mitzi Eilts is moving on to another calling.

An ordained minister for the past 26 years, Eilts will become an associate minister at the First Congregational Church in Essex.

Nancy Clark, the chairwoman of the Estuary Council's board of directors, will serve as interim director during the search for Eilts' replacement. It's a familiar position for Clark, who led the regional senior organization temporarily before Eilts came on board in June 2004.

Eilts' tenure has included some major changes for the Estuary Council, such as the completion of a renovation and expansion project at the organization's Old Saybrook senior center, and changes in the public shuttle bus and dial-a-ride systems. Eilts became executive director during a tumultuous time for the organization, which had faced widespread criticism under its previous director.

While she is proud of the ``concrete'' accomplishments, such as the renovation, Eilts said she considers easing some of the tensions an even more important accomplishment.

``Most of all, what's been important is that this organization has been able to regain its positive reputation in the community for all that it does,'' Eilts said.

Clark said the seven-member search committee is accepting applications and meeting weekly. Both she and Eilts emphasized the importance of finding a director with skills in financial management. The Estuary Council has seen a steady decline in federal funds in recent years and has been tapping into savings for the past few years, Eilts said.

Eilts said her successor will also face a changing concept of what being a senior means. ``Seniors don't have the same issues as those who became 60 20 years ago,'' Eilts said.

Clark said she hoped to find someone who is ``very open and honest and can relate to the seniors.''